After the incredible and miraculous victory over Jericho, Achan's sin had caused a defeat for the entire nation of Israel before the tiny little village of Ai. Without question, this shook their confidence. If any pride had entered the camp after Jericho, it was dispelled at Ai. They were again made aware of the total dependence on the Lord for victory and their total obedience to His instructions. They would not win by their own might and power, but by His Spirit. There were other similar lessons about this that they would learn during their conquest of the land. If we are wise, we will learn by studying their history rather than making our own mistakes.

We may also think that it is not fair for the whole nation to be penalized just because of one man's sin, but the reason for this must also be understood. In the Spirit, unity brings not just an increase, but a multiplication of spiritual authority. Unity is so powerful that in Deuteronomy 32:30 we are told that one will chase a thousand, and two ten thousand. The Lord said in Matthew 18:19, "...if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven." Of course, this unity is more than simply agreeing intellectually about something; it implies a complete union of purpose. If such unity is so potentially powerful, it is expected that a breech of this unity could likewise undermine our authority and cost us the victory.

Rebellion and disobedience destroy unity as they are the root cause of the fall of mankind and the breech of unity with God. This is why they are punished so severely in Scripture. The more authority that we are trusted with, the more devastating the consequences of disobedience can be. Disobedience is not just rebelling against instructions; it is also the failure to follow them.

Even Israel's great leader, Moses, had not been allowed to enter the Promised Land because he had allowed his anger to cause him to strike the rock to bring forth water instead of just speaking to it as God had commanded. It may seem like a small thing, and probably anyone else in Israel would have been able to get away with it, but not one who was in the position that Moses held. He was told to speak to the rock, not strike it, even though the previous time he had been told to strike it. With increased authority comes increased responsibility and increased consequences for our actions, both good and bad.

At Ai, Israel learned some hard but valuable lessons. With God on their side, they could not be defeated by any enemy, but they could bring defeat on themselves by even the smallest enemy with their own disobedience. Spiritual warfare is similar to any combat. We, too, must learn obedience if we are going to be trusted with authority and used for the great battles ahead.

Though I was in the Navy, I had to go through a basic infantry training with the Marine Corp to be assigned to a ground defense force at our Naval Air Station. I remember the drill instructor's warning that during a firefight we must stay in our assigned position because if the enemy did not shoot us, then they would! If we were not in our assigned position, they would assume that we were the enemy, since our fire was coming from a place that they had not sent anyone to.

In battle it is imperative to listen to orders and follow them exactly. Battle plans would break down quickly and any battle would be lost if the troops decided to do what they thought was best. This is why marching, drilling, and other exercises intended to condition the troops to hear orders and follow them exactly are the main purposes of basic training. They would be a danger to themselves and their unit and possibly even the entire force, if they did not obey orders.

Not understanding this is a main reason why there is presently so little victory in the body of Christ and so much defeat. Very few are presently learning to really function as a unit, and are therefore capable of going into serious spiritual warfare. Those who try to go into it without the necessary training and devotion to obedience, often get hurt, or worse.

Our God is a marshal God. His title as the "Lord of hosts" in Scripture or "Lord of armies" is used more than ten times more than all of His other titles. He is going to be leading an army in the conquest of the land, not a mob that is setting out to pillage and plunder. Most love to hear about going in to conquer the Promised Land, but very few want to endure the training and discipline required to get us ready for it.

We must understand that we are following the King, and a king gives orders. He will not be taking votes. As Paul wrote in Romans 1:4-5, "...Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith..." (italics mine).True faith is always demonstrated by obedience, which is why one of the basic Greek words translated as "faith" in the New Testament also is translated as "obedience." Paul elaborates on this further in Romans 16:25-27:
 

As we have discussed, there have been many terrible abuses of authority in the body of Christ throughout history, even our recent history, but that does not negate the need for obedience. This is allowed as a test for those who can be trusted with true authority. Just as Israel was fed up with kings after their experience with Saul, the greatest king they would ever have was just maturing, and Saul had greatly helped him in that process. Those who then refused any king missed the greatest of all. Those who are led more by past failures and wounds than by discerning the Spirit will always miss their greatest opportunities in the faith, which will usually require the greater faith of overcoming our own mistakes, or those of others.

Many Christians lost their faith after the great scandals of the 1980s, but this only revealed how shallow their faith was. Those who have true faith will never lose it because of the failures of others—their faith is not in others, but in God. However, we must also understand that God is in us and will do most of His works through men, and exercise most of His authority through them, just as He always has.

Many are now saying that they will not obey men but only God. Throughout history, however, God has manifested His authority through men. If we do not receive our instructions through men, we are not likely to be a part of His army. Whenever I hear someone make such a declaration, I determine right then to stay as far away from him as I can, and to keep him as far away from our work as I can. Such a self-willed, rebellious attitude will always ultimately bring division and destruction.

On the other hand, the church, God's own people, have been terribly abused by immature, unstable, self-willed, and self-seeking leaders. One of the curses that was to come upon Israel if she rebelled against God was to have children as leaders, and this certainly seems to have been the case for much of the church. If this is our doing, we need to repent too, and ask the Lord for mature leaders.

In the prophetic scheme that parallels this study in the Book of Joshua, I believe the church is just coming to the Jordan River and is being prepared to cross over. The discipline of all that takes place from this point on will make the church ready for inheriting the promises. However, because Ai is in this story does not mean that we have to suffer the same defeat, if we will humble ourselves and learn from Israel's lessons. This is what we are told in I Corinthians 10, after Paul recited Israel's experiences in the wilderness, he says, "Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (verse 11). Israel's experiences are there as a prophetic scenario, and we can learn from them so we do not have to make the same mistakes. If we will judge ourselves, He will not have to judge us. Let us not become arrogant, thinking that we are better, but simply that we have been given more grace by having been given the Bible.